Friday, August 20, 2010

Why "Sharpening Iron?"

My daughter questioned my title.  "Mom, why 'Sharpening Iron?'  Why not something about getting old?"  My thought had been to point away from my age and hopefully to what I hope is a still-sharp mind.  But rather than explain all that, I dodged the issue and gave her a silly, rather limp answer.  "Well, I had to call it something." 

That's an old joke that goes back long before her time.  Back in the 40's, my grandmother and her friends all swore by an evil-tasting tonic named Hadacol, supposedly good for everything from arthritis to high blood pressure.  A lifetime tee-totalling Baptist, Grandma Compton was horrified to learn it was mostly colored alcohol.  In fact, bars in Louisiana served it by the shot glass.

I was just a kid (of course), but I still remember the the joke about its name:  Hadacol, because they hadda call it something.

So, "Sharpening Iron," because I hadda call it something.

2 comments:

  1. Joanne, I like the touch of history! It seems like Sharpening Iron could also refer to keeping your mind sharp, or the work that goes into refining one's thoughts and ideas. So now I'm curious -- what does your blog title really mean? Do tell!

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  2. Just discovered your blog through one of your Rippler posts. I'm enjoying it. Thanks.

    Judy Vandiver
    judyvandiver.com

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